After a few days anchored in Santa Maria, we set off at first light to sail to Terceira, with a brief stopover at Sao Miguel. I could have easily stayed longer at Santa Maria, however there are 9 islands in the Azores archipelago, and although we won’t be able to visit them all, we did want to see a few more.
With the wind forecast to blow us to Sao Miguel and a day later on to Terceira, it seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. Especially as we’re learning that wind in the right direction in the Azores archipelago does not come along very often.
Sailing Santa Maria to Sao Miguel
We needed to make an early start for Sao Miguel and we upped anchor under the light of an almost full moon. As we passed the harbour entrance, a flotilla of fishing boats surrounded us on their way to work. We gave them a wave which they returned.
We motored around to the north west side of the island where we found the wind and set all the sails. A pleasant F4 from the north east filled them and pushed us along at a decent speed.
However, with daylight we could now see that we would have to run the gauntlet of more squalls. The first two passed behind us, giving us a welcome push from the increased wind. But there was a monster one ahead. Our speed had now dropped, which we were thankful for as the bulk of it passed ahead and a few spots of rain was the worst that we got.
By midday we were halfway across and the wind and sea increased to give us a welcome boost of speed.
However, by late afternoon the wind had dropped away too much to keep us going at a decent speed over ground (SOG), so we motor sailed for the last hour.
At Anchor at Agua de Alta Beach, Sao Miguel
We’d planned to anchor off of Vila Franca do Campo, but once we were close enough to see clearly, concerns set in. There was a much bigger swell from the east than forecast and we could see another boat anchored there rolling uncomfortably from side to side.
We studied the charts and decided to try our luck with another bay 2 miles west, at Agua de Alta. There is a small island off of Vila Franca as well as a headland that we hoped would break up some of the swell.
Two other boats were already anchored in the bay. Although they rolled a little, they were pointing into the swell, rather than side on. The bay was huge and we dropped into sand in 8m.
Despite there still being some swell rolling in, we actually had a reasonably good night’s sleep, with just an occasional bigger roll waking us up.
By morning the swell was much reduced and we had a comfortable day aboard. We had an overnight sail ahead of us, so we spent the day relaxing, planning and watching the goings on on the beach.
Sail to Terceira
We lifted the anchor at 10pm as the last of the daylight faded to the west to sail to Terceira island.
As we motored along the south coast on a flat sea, we were both feeling spooked and paranoid for some reason. Perhaps last night’s sleep had been more disturbed than we remembered? I kept hearing strange notes from the engine and obsessively watched the control dials. The noise from planes arriving at Sao Miguel would make me jump, even though I knew they were planes. As Colin tried to get some rest, a huge, yellow, three quarters moon rose up behind us. It created an ethereal haze over the sea which only added fuel to my feelings of unease.
Then suddenly, our SOG dropped by over one knot. We shouldn’t have had any tide against us, and in the dark it was difficult to see if we’d snagged something. The engine seemed OK which backed up the no snag thought. We were close to Ponta Delgada, so if we needed to divert, we had a safe port. But then 20 minutes later our SOG increased back to what it had been. It was all very odd.
Due to the engine noise and heat below combined with my feelings of unease, I decided to extend my watch and allow Colin to keep sleeping. At 04:30 we cleared the end of Sao Miguel and found the forecast wind. We gratefully switched to sail and turned off the engine. My next on-watch corresponded with sunrise and the rosy light filling the sky chased away any lingering feelings of uneasiness.
The Sail to Terceira Was Our Best Sailing Day for a Long Time
Our sail to Terceira was one of the best sailing days we’ve had in a long, long time. The wind angle was almost perfect, and Emerald sailed comfortably along between 5 and 6.5 knots. As a bonus, the sun was shining for most of it and it was a squall free day.
As friends sailed past us, we took photos of each others’ boats. It’s been some years since we last had photos taken of Emerald sailing, and certainly before we painted the hull green.
However, as we closed on Terceira, Emerald reminded us not to get too complacent when things are going well. As we approached the harbour we furled the genoa foresail away, but it wouldn’t fully roll up. Of course by now the wind had increased with the sea becoming a little more boisterous. The issue was caused by the furling line, which had swollen due to being wet from waves splashing onto deck. It then filled the furling drum before the stowage was complete, leaving a triangle of sail unwrapped.
However, once inside the harbour arms, the sea state was calm and the wind much reduced. We unfurled the sail, and refurled it less tightly so that less line was inside the drum. Another job to add to the never ending list! We’ll replace the current furling line with a thinner rope that is technically better for the job.
The Praia da Vitoria Anchorage
The Praia da Vitoria anchorage is huge, at least a mile across with an entrance between two long, protecting harbour walls. Anchored sailboats were clustered at the north half of the bay, closer to the marina and its facilities. The largest group were anchored east of a line running from the marina entrance. A smaller group was spread in front of the town’s promenade. We chose that group and anchored off of a long line of sand.
We later learnt that the gap leading to the marina entrance is required to allow easy access for the pilot boat. Two yachts found this out the hard way with a loud beep from the pilot and a non-negotiable request to move.
The water in the anchorage was lovely and clear. We could easily see the white painted parts of the anchor on the seabed, with Bob floating just above. A patch of disturbed water a few meters away from Emerald caught our eye. We watched as a swirling mass of fish moved the ruffled water towards us and soon Emerald was surrounded by a shoal of wriggling baby mackerel.
The next encounter with nature wasn’t so good. We’d seen and had been warned about the jellyfish in the bay. They’re small, but can give a painful sting, as I unfortunately confirmed whist having a sunset swim.
Praia da Vitoria Marina
We checked in to the marina where we were issued with the code number for the pontoon gates. We were able to take as much water as we wanted, and park our dinghy on a pontoon. And all for free.
Compare this to the majority of harbours in the rest of the islands where even to anchor costs half of the price of having a pontoon berth. It’s not hard to see why so many boats anchor in this protected bay.
Sailing Info
Santa Maria to Sao Miguel: 57nm (39nm sailed)
Wind F4 from the NE increasing to F6 for a time before decreasing to E F3. Swell from the east.
Anchored in Baia Agua de Alto, sand 8m, in position 37 42.872’N 25 28.55’W
Sao Miguel to Praia da Vitoria, Terceira: 102nm (66nm sailed)
Wind SW F4 increasing to F5 and going west
Anchored in 5.5m, sand in position 38 43.67’N 27 3.51’W
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Thank you from Nichola & Colin